Protecter of Another World
by tenneyshoes
Summary: Avatar X Eragon. Aang and his family are in for another adventure when they are ripped to another war torn world, and once again, the young Avatar must play Savior with his friends doing all they can to help.
1. Chapter 1

**So I know this has been extremely delayed, and for that I apologize profusely. I got caught up in my first year of college. And then the final book came out and threw a wrench right into the middle of this, which has complicated things. So because of that and various reviews from you wonderful people I have decided to go back and revamp this story because I'm not happy with the early chapters and you have pointed out some rather gaping holes lying about. The first few chapters will be a bit different, but probably around chapter six they will start to meet up again, because I am actually happy with that one, and that's where I want it to go. Some things will match with the book, and some won't, some things will follow the Avatar series, and some won't, mostly in terms of shipping, so don't freak out when something isn't the way our dear Paolini wrote it or the genius duo of Mike and Bryan created it.**

**Please remember this is a work of fiction completely separate from either franchise, and is purely for my own entertainment and perhaps yours if I do my job right.**

"This is getting ridiculous!" Aang huffed as he collapsed on the bed not even bothering to take off his boots.

For the past five months the Avatar had been chasing Earth Kingdom rebels across the Fire Nation colonies. When he had proposed his plan to unite the colonies as a nation on their own the Earth King and the Fire Lord had readily agreed to the proposal. It was a good solution, and would help establish peace faster than the two countries trying to swindle each other in endless negotiations. The people of the Earth Kingdom, however, had become an… unexpected complication.

Earth Kingdom citizens wanted their land back, and the compromise the Avatar had proposed was, in their eyes, the same as giving the land to the Fire Nation. In order to express their displeasure, disgruntled citizens of the Earth Kingdom had flocked to the colonies to disrupt progress. Citizens of the colonies were happy with the proposal, but with crime rates sky rocketing, they were beginning to worry, and so, had called the Avatar to put down the rebellions.

For the past month Aang and Toph had been working tirelessly in the colony Yu Dao, which Aang hoped to make the Capitol of his United Republic. But when one band was knocked out two more seemed to spring up in its place. Aang was beginning to wonder if it was even worth it anymore.

"Are you kidding?" Toph asked from across the room. Her fingers began pulling the pins out of her hair as she continued, "This is a blast! I have an endless supply of bozoes to beat up!"

Aang propped himself up on his elbow as he looked across the dark room at her. Despite the energy in her voice he could see the tired sag of her shoulders. As she finished brushing her hair she moved to the bed and sat next to him, and he raised a hand to brush his thumb under a raw scrape on her chin. "You don't mean that."

She had been clipped by a stray rock during one of the skirmishes that day and it wasn't her only wound. For the past month she had constantly had at least one knee or elbow scraped raw at any given time, her hands carried a number of tiny scrapes, and her entire body was littered with bruises at various stages of healing.

But such was the lot of an earthbender. They didn't avoid attacks like the other elements; the _stopped_ attacks.

Even so, it bothered the Avatar that his wife's body took such a beating and he had received his first bruise in weeks only two days ago. He knew Toph didn't mind. She thrived on it even, taking immense pleasure in showing off her 'battle scars' to her students at the Metalbending Academy. But he was her husband, blast it all, and he was supposed to protect her! Considering they had only been married a month and a half and he hadn't even found time to take her on a proper honeymoon, he was feeling like a right failure in that respect.

"I know you'd rather stay here and torture you students all day," he said, his fingers running down her arm.

"Or go on that honeymoon you promised me," she teased, as if reading his mind, before leaning in and pressing her lips to his. "But 'what ifs' and 'can't haves' are for airbenders, and we have a job to do." The way she said it told Aang she didn't have a single qualm with the way their life together had turned out so far as she curled into his side and yawned widely.

Deciding sleep was more important than worrying about things that couldn't be changed, the Avatar wrapped his arms around his wife and let his eyes slip shut. Right as someone banged on the front gate of the Academy.

Aang growled loudly and squeezed his eyes shut in annoyance. Toph chuckled and slipped from his arms and out the door. Mustering what little energy he had left, Aang heaved himself to his feet and followed his wife.

Aang shivered as he stepped out into the moonlight. Across the courtyard Toph's three students were already clustered around the gate waiting for their master. Toph bent the metal tumblers in the lock on the gate and dragged the heavy door open just as Aang reached her.

The young airbender was surprised to see Sokka on the other side of the gate. He was panting heavily, leaning on his knees and looking like he had just rolled out of bed. His hair was missing its signature wolf tail, and his clothes looked like they had been thrown on in the dark.

"You guys had better come quickly," he heaved. "Zuko and Katara's ship just docked, and some little moles aren't too happy about it."

Toph nodded and said, "I'll take you back down. Grab your glider and meet as at the docks, Twinkle Toes." Toph took a step out of the gate before turning to her students and very firmly commanding, "Bed! Now. And if I find out you put even one toe out you'll be doing basic drills and kitchen duty for a week!" And without another word, she walked out the gate, grabbed Sokka by the shirt and earth-surfed down the hill.

When Aang arrived at the docks, the scene was the organized chaos of battle. A ship tied to the dock looked as though a tank had shot it, a mangled hole yawning in its hull. The ship was listing dangerously to the side and it seemed a group of men standing on the dock were bailing water into it.

Touching down on the wooden planks, the Avatar baseball swung his staff at the men, sending water pails and men alike into the air to thud back down on the walkway. Aang called up a wave and froze the side of the ship to keep it from taking on more water before he turned his attention to the skirmish.

The docks were illuminated by the moonlight and the flames from the Fire Nation soldiers trying to protect their ruler. The rebels had an assortment of weapons from hammers to swords to axes and staves that relentlessly pounded the defenders.

Aang ran forward to assist where he could when something at the end of the walkway rolled under his feet. He crashed to the ground, his shoulder taking the brunt of the fall, and looked back to find Katara layed out on the woodwork. Even as he watched, her arm whipped around her head, calling water from the ocean, and sent a whip over Aang's head and dragged a man into the harbor.

Surging to his feet Aang assessed the situation. Katara flew past him to help Sokka against a pair of particularly adamant earthbenders. Zuko was slipping through bending forms without conjuring any flames, intent on disarming if possible rather than harming, always conscious of his hard won delicate peace. Toph danced through her own forms beside Aang, the earth leaping around her like water. She had no mixed feelings like Zuko to hold her back, and it showed as she slammed a rock into a man's gut.

Annoyance and frustration warred in Aang's mind as his fatigue from an already overloaded day weighed down on him. Taking a deep breath he cleared his mind and tapped the barrier of the Avatar State. And then, he wasn't on the docks anymore.

"What just happened?"

Startled, Aang flipped around to find Toph behind him, still in her horse stance.

"Twinkle Toes! What did you do?" She demanded, glaring at him.

Aang gaped at her. "I didn't do anything!" he yelled back, clearly offended. "How do you know this is my fault?"

"Well, you _are_ the Avatar. Whenever crazy things happen it tends to be _your_ fault!" she yelled back.

"I didn't do anything!" he repeated. "I just tapped the Avatar State."

Toph didn't yell, but her glare remained in place. "So, what? The Spirit World?"

"But you're here," he argued.

"We could both be in the Spirit World," Toph suggested.

Quickly, he slipped through an airbending form, a bit disappointed when the air actually responded. That meant he still had no idea where they were. "My bending still works," he said. The conversation pricked at his memory. He had carried on the same conversation with Momo nearly four years ago.

"The Lion Turtle," he mused aloud. Slipping into his horse stance, he stomped a tattooed foot into the ground, and a rock leapt into the air. Groaning, he dropped the rock, fell to the ground and shoved his fists into his tired eyes. "I don't know, anymore!"

Toph knelt next to him, placing her hand on his chest. "What time is it," she asked.

Peeking through his fingers he looked up to unfamiliar stars.

"Middle of the night," he answered, exhausting ringing in his voice.

Aang flinched when earth walls rose around him unexpectedly and formed a tent.

"Let's get some sleep then, and we can figure out where we are in the morning, ok?" Toph proposed, before curling up next to him and laying her head on his chest for the second time that night.

-x-

Consciousness found him slowly. Aang still felt exhausted when he opened his eyes to see stone above him. Although he was a superb earthbender as the Avatar, he had been born an airbender, and spending the night on the ground after a long day was not exactly restful. Yes, he was all about being one with nature, and yes, he had slept on the ground without a bed roll almost every night for nearly three seasons before he had defeated Ozai, but he was laying on solid slate, for Spirit's sake!

Groaning, Aang pulled a rock from under his tailbone that he had been too exhausted to notice the night before. Toph shifted beside him, completely comfortable where she was. He gently moved her head from his chest to the ground and slipped out of the shelter.

The first thing he noticed was that it was already well past midday. The next thing he noticed was the ruins. They were unlike anything he had ever seen! Absolutely colossal, and the design was completely foreign with huge soaring pillars and arches. He stood at one end of what looked like a highway. The crumbling towers rose in straight lines on either side of the cobbled plaza and continued as far as Aang could see before dipping with the land. Cliffs encased the city all around only broken by a few gullies and canyons.

_This city must have been built for giants!_ Aang mused as he gaped at the scene before him. He slipped back into the tent, which now seemed impossibly tiny amongst the vast ruins, and poked Toph in the side.

"Hey, wake up, you've gotta see this!" When she rolled away from his prodding finger he earthbent her back. She turned her face to him, eyes still closed and waited. Rolling his eyes, Aang dropped a quick kiss to her lips and then man handled her out of the tent and to her feet.

Toph rolled her shoulders out as she asked, "What's the big deal?"

Aang gaped at her.

"Seriously? Look around! This place is crazy! It's like someone turned the Great Divide into a city!" he exclaimed. "How are _you_, the one obsessed with architecture, not impressed?"

"Because we have bigger problems than ruined buildings right now, Twinkle Toes. We should start looking around, see if you recognize anything that could tell us where we are!" And with that, Toph turned on her heel and walked through an archway.

Aang shrugged, grabbed his glider, and took to the skies.

For an hour the two explored the island separately. Toph stepped into a magnificent hall with soaring pillars and buttresses. Broken arches yawned over the collapsed floor letting in the afternoon sunlight. Toph stomped and after taking in the vibrations deemed that what was left of the floor would be able to hold her weight, but only just. Stepping carefully she began to edge around the hole to the other side.

"Toph!" Aang came diving out of the sky.

"No! Twinkle Toes, don't land-" she yelled waving her arms at him right as his boots touched the stone, and down they went.

The paving stones dropped from her feet, taking any vibrations with them, and Toph was completely blind as she fell. She rolled against pieces of the floor that had long since collapsed and finally skidded to a halt with a rock digging into her spine.

Aang was only slightly better off. He had managed to bend a cushion of air to soften his landing, but only just. Lifting his face from the dirt he did a cautious inventory of his limbs. His forearm was scrapped, and he would probably have a nasty bruise on his shoulder. His ribs felt tender and one knee felt like it had been scraped against the rough fabric of his trousers.

Toph groaned a few feet away from him as she twisted her arm from behind her back. Aang dragged himself over to her and asked if she was alright.

"When the Spirits deliver me from idiotic Avatars that don't listen, I will be alright," she growled back.

Ignoring her censure Aang asked, "Are you hurt?" then realizing she would complain about every bruise and stubbed toe she had received in the last month just for the sake of being difficult he quickly amended, "Is anything broken?"

"No, I'm fine. I can take care of myself, ya know," she said, pushing herself into a sitting position. She reached behind her and grabbed the rock that had been digging into her back.

Toph had always believed that earth was more than just rock, that it had a life of its own, but this was pushing it even for her. As her small fingers skimmed over the smooth surface a gentle pulse pushed back, teasing her senses.

"What is that?" Aang asked, his natural curiosity surfacing.

"No idea," Toph answered passing the, for lack of a better term, stone to him. "It's not actually earth. I can't bend it."

Aang skimmed his fingers over the stone and then pushed his palm flat against it, willing it to bend, but nothing came of it. Aang held a flame to the object for a minute and then brushed his fingers across it quickly. The area on the stone was no warmer than the rest of it.

"Did you try metalbending?" he asked absently.

"No, Aang, I'm an idiot," Toph answered sarcastically. "Of course I tried metalbending. If I didn't know better, I would say this thing was alive." Reaching forward, Toph put her hand on his and pressed his palm down harder. "Feel that? Those vibrations are just like a heartbeat. It's the closest thing to yours I've ever felt."

Aang concentrated, struggling to pick up the vibrations that came as easily as breathing for his wife, but they were indeed there.

As Toph withdrew her hand ivory spikes suddenly leapt from the stone. Aang dropped it in the dirt and scrambled back a bit.

"Toph!" he exclaimed, his voice rising a bit higher than it had for a few years. "This isn't a time for jokes! You said you couldn't bend it!"

"I didn't do anything, Twinkle Toes," Toph defended distractedly as she moved closer to the stone and ran her finger along the ridge of spikes. The gentle pulsing had picked up speed and was growing in strength. A light tapping noise came from the stone, and a quick succession of vibrations brushed against Toph's toes. "Something's happening."

Aang watched in fascination as the stone began to rock and the tapping continued in an unsteady rhythm. On impulse, Aang reached forward and grabbed Toph's wrist to drag her away from this…thing. She resisted, but Aang had grown in the four years since the war and without her bending, Toph's physical strength was dwarfed by his considerably.

The two waited as the tapping grew louder, and soon they were rewarded when a piece of the stone fell away and a tiny silver…something peeked out. Right in front of them, the, now very obviously, egg continued to fall away and out toppled a tiny silver dragon!

It didn't look the same as the Masters Ran and Sha. It wasn't quite as serpentine as they, but it was unmistakably a dragon. Even as a hatchling it held that certain presence that dragons do.

"What in the name of Prithvi is that?" Toph asked quietly. She had never met the Masters and, being blind, had never seen pictures of dragons. She had no reference for the strange little creature in front of her.

"It's a dragon." Aang's voice held a certain amount of awe and he slowly stepped forward, raising his hands for the little hatchling to see. He didn't want to startle it. Bright silver eyes watched him intently as he advanced and when he was within arm's reach, he stopped. Slowly putting his hand out he paused over the little creatures head, and it lunged forward to butt its head against his palm.

Pain erupted in his right arm. Lightning and ice raced up his arm to his shoulder and, somewhere in the shock, Aang registered that he wasn't trying to redirect that lightning. He curled around his hand as his body convulsed and he vaguely wondered if this was what it felt like when Zuko had been shot by Azula during the comet.

When the pain finally subsided and his mind had cleared enough to really think Aang noticed first that the hatchling had curled into his side. The second was that Toph was on his other side, unable to help him but glaring at the little beast. Four years ago she would have earthbent the little thing into dust, but after spending four years as the best friend to the Avatar that had refused to kill Ozai she had a compassion for life that was often more annoying that it was worth. But she didn't feel right attacking a baby that was only minutes old. And the little thing was humming as it pushed into Aang's side as if trying to comfort him.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Well I'm not dead," he answered, only half joking. He looked at his hand as the last tingles of energy stabbed at his nerves. His palm shimmered and caught the light of the low afternoon sun. His eyes shifted to the little dragon nestled at his hip. Pushing himself to his feet, Aang grabbed Toph's hand and pulled her back from the dragon.

In return the little beast clambered to its feet and tried to follow them. Its coordination was atrocious. It seemed to dance in place, lilting to the side a bit as oversized leathery wings opened unevenly. It lost its balance and toppled onto its side, but again pulled itself onto its feet and with slow progress began advancing toward them.

When it reached them it reared on its hind legs and butted against Aang shin, reminding him strikingly of Appa. The little creature looked up at him expectantly and Aang had no idea what he was supposed to do.

"It's probably hungry," Toph said. "You can keep exploring and I'll find it some food."

Aang agreed and flicked his glider open, startling the hatchling, which scurried behind Toph's leg to peek out at the strange contraption.

Toph stomped a foot and raised a pillar so they could climb out of the collapsed section of floor and the dragon panicked. It pressed itself against Toph's calf and buried its face in the rumbling earth. Once level with the floor above them Toph stepped away and began walking out of the hall with little sympathy for the dragon. She may not feel right attacking the thing, but she still wasn't sure how she felt about it. She was sure that it was the cause of Aang's, for lack of a better term, seizure and she knew that they now had to care for the creature because of his thrice accursed compassion, and Spirits knew Toph didn't like anything forced on her.

Aang hesitated taking to the sky. He felt a strange reluctance to leave the little hatchling behind, a sentiment Toph obviously didn't share, and Aang wondered where this protective streak had come from. Toph noticed his hesitation and turned to him with one dark eyebrow raised in question.

"I… I don't feel like leaving the dragon," he explained quietly.

"I'm going hunting, Aang." Toph's voice held a slight warning. She knew his morals and values well. "It's not going to eat grass," she reasoned.

"I know," Aang replied, still reluctant to leave.

"I won't let anything happen to it." The promise eased Aang's mind a bit. Deciding he trusted her, Aang took to the sky.

As his steady heart beat disappeared Toph set off in search of food. The little dragon clambered after, stumbling often but quickly getting the hang of walking. Unfortunately, the newborn had no sense of silence and seemed to step and roll across every dead leaf, twig, and pine cone they passed.

Toph growled in frustration and spun around, once again, startling the little hatchling. It yowled and tried to back pedal with very little success and ended up toppling onto its face before Toph scooped it up and tucked it under her arm.

It hung limp against her hip, its head and tail bumping her leg with each step. She guessed it was trying to play dead out of some natural instinct and she chuckled once in amusement. When her diaphragm pushed her abdomen out with the laugh the dragon took notice, and with the attention span of Momo forgot to play dead and instead prodded her stomach with its snout. Toph brushed it away, not ungently, and focused on the vibrations.

She could feel strange creatures scurrying through the trees and focused on a small animal that felt like a miniature rabaroo nearly two hundred yards away from her. With her earthbending she sent a pebble sailing into the animal's temple, killing it quickly. Once she reached the mini rabaroo she set the dragon down in front of it and sat down in the dirt to wait.

The dragon poked around the animal, sniffing and trying to identify whatever this thing was before it. It tentatively bit into it and then began to tear it apart with vigor. When it had finished its meal it trotted back to Toph and curled up at her feet. Its heart rate was already slowing down and Toph knew it was about to drop off to sleep so she scooped it back up and tucked it under her arm again to head back to the ruins.

Upon arriving at the 'camp' from the night before Toph set the dragon back on the dirt to let it wander as she went about making their arrangements slightly more permanent. She built a better tent, and dug a fire pit, and then went about constructing bowls and utensils out of the slate. The dragon watched her work for a moment, and then began exploring on its own. When it wandered farther than Toph liked she dragged it back with earthbending. Again, the dragon panicked, although, perhaps not so badly, and watched her warily before beginning again.

Toph was in the middle of collecting firewood when Aang dropped out of the sky. The hatchling immediately scampered over to him, and again reared on its hind legs and bumped against his shin. Aang hesitated a second before cautiously bending to rub a finger on the dragons forehead. It opened its mouth wide and let out a meow of approval, exactly as Appa used to do. Aang felt a dull pang in his chest for his animal guide. Appa had passed away almost six months ago. It seemed being frozen in an iceberg was harder on a sky bison than the Avatar.

He had a fleeting thought and went to sit beside Toph near the fire pit.

"Hey Toph, remember when you asked me if I thought friendships could transcend lifetimes?"

Toph turned to him as she nodded. The dragon had followed Aang over and now crawled across Toph's lap and curled up to sleep. Toph barely paid it any attention, but began running her fingers down its back, much like she always did with Momo.

"Would you think I was crazy… if I told you this little guy might be Appa?"

Toph's brow crinkled as she considered the possibility, her fingers continuing to stroke the dragon's spikes. "I suppose it's a definite possibility," she admitted. "After all, you _are_ the Avatar, and you've been without an animal guide for nearly half a year. Maybe this is why you never felt right about picking a new bison from that herd you found."

Aang smiled, liking the thought of having Appa back, in at least some way, very much.

"Well, Twinkle Toes? Possum-chicken here needs a name. You got any ideas?" Toph asked, leaning back on her hands.

"Possum-chicken?" Aang asked, a wry chuckle passing his lips as he skeptically raised an eyebrow at his wife.

"He was playing dead earlier," she said, in way of an explanation. Again, Aang chuckled and reached out a finger to rub the little dragon's head.

"I don't have a clue what to name him… it. I don't even know if it's a boy or girl," Aang said. He still didn't have the slightest idea what was going on, and as of yet, he had no idea how to find out. Aang's right palm, the one that now shimmered, rested against the dragon's side as he retreated into his thoughts, when an awareness came to him.

It felt very much like when Roku's dragon had spoken to him, and Aang knew the dragon was a boy. He opened his mind, much like when he meditated, and allowed the dragon's awareness, for he was sure that was what it was, to brush against his. He had been right in thinking that they were connected, but it was a slightly different connection than he had previously had. With Appa, it was the inseparable connection of the Avatar and his animal guide. That connection was present now, but there was more to it, like another responsibility.

"I know what I'm going to name him," Aang announced, pulling back into his own mind.

Toph raised an eyebrow at him and teased, "Him?"

"I'm the Avatar, just go with it," he answered, reaching out and tweaking her nose playfully. Said nose crinkled up adorably and Toph jerked her head back and batted his hand away. Sobering a bit, Aang looked back down at the hatchling curled up on his wife's lap and said, "Rowan." Diamond silver eyes snapped open and the little triangular head shot off Toph's knee to stare at Aang.

"I've never heard that before. Is it an airbender name?" Toph asked curiously.

Aang nodded, his eyes still on the dragon. "Yeah. Gyotso told me it was my father's name."

Toph nodded and grabbed one of the larger spikes on Rowan's head, wiggling it a bit and said, "Well there ya go, Possum-chicken."

**Yes, I changed Orion's name to Rowan. I felt like Orion didn't really fit in the Avatar universe, like at all, and then based on a Legend of Korra episode I kind of kifed the name from Tenzin's adorable little boy. However, when they named him, I wasn't sure if they had said Rowan or Rohan, which it actually is, but Rohan reminded me to much of Lord of the Rings, so I changed it to Rowan. Deal with it. When I talked about that second connection between Aang and Rowan, I'm implying the Rider connection, which will be explained to Aang in later chapters for those of you that haven't read Eragon.**

**As always, please process and reply, and you can have a cookie, because they are still good. For those of you that read the original, if you are still around, I would love to get your feedback! Do you think this is better or worse? What do you like or hate about it, and do you see any other holes I may have missed, and I know there are a few.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Things are still changing around, so don't freak out. This chapter was originally #3 but I combined 1 and 2 so now this is 2. Just in case you were wondering where we are.**

**AZ: Yes, the Gaang will be in this story, in fact, in this chapter! **

**Moonshadow0501: I'm glad you think this is so epic!**

**Still waiting to know what you guys think!**

Sokka dodged a rock hurtling toward his head and charged the earthbender, letting out a loud warrior's whoop, and as he swung his sword, the earthbender vanished. Sokka's training kicked in and he scanned around him. He definitely wasn't on the docks anymore. He stood on a dusty patch of grass in the valley between low hills. Katara was by his side, as she had been moments before, warily taking in her surroundings.

Sokka looked up into the sky. He had traveled all over the world but, for the life of him, he could not make heads or tails of these stars. A small moon sat high in the sky, but he didn't feel a connection to it.

"Katara?" he asked.

Katara just shook her head, as confused as he was. "All I know is that you came back, and then Aang was there, and I was going to help you."

"You don't think this has something to do with Aang, do you?" he asked.

"It's possible," she admitted. "He _is_ the Avatar, there's no telling what can happen around him."

Sokka huffed a sigh and began to grumble to himself. "I'm just a guy, with a sword. I didn't ask for all this 'cosmic power' and magic and-" that was about when his murmuring became unintelligible.

Katara rolled her eyes and suggested they might as well make camp. She began to climb a hill to see if she could find some firewood and when she reached the top she found a group of men layed on their bellies discussing something furiously in heated whispers.

Upon seeing her staring at them the men scrambled to their feet. One of them strode toward her confidently, and Katara had a moment to notice that he was extremely attractive, in a unique feline way, before he raised his hand to her, his palm shimmering in the moonlight, and she lost consciousness.

Sokka had turned back to tell his sister not to wander too far just as she collapsed. The stranger caught her and hefted her into his arms, as of yet, unaware that he was being watched.

"Hey!" Sokka yelled, unsheathing his sword and brandishing it at this stranger. More men crested the hill, the moonlight adding a dramatic effect, much to Sokka's annoyance. "Let her go!"

The man ignored his demand and instead asked, "Who are you? Friend or foe?"

Sokka growled and spit back, "That depends. What did you do to her? Let her go!"

Katara was passed to another man, wider and burlier with a wild beard, and the first man stepped forward with the grace Sokka had only seen in a master waterbender. A hand drifted to the jeweled hilt of a sword at his hip while the other hovered before him, as if he was trying to calm a cornered animal. Sokka glared at him.

"No harm has come to her, she is simply asleep." The man spoke with soft words in a calm voice. "Tell us who you are, do you serve Galbatorix, or do you seek shelter from the Varden?" He might as well have been speaking gibberish.

"What are you talking about?" Sokka asked, annoyed. He pushed a lock of hair out of his eyes and remembered a bit sheepishly that he had rolled out of bed not even an hour ago. "Who, in the name of the Spirits, are Galbatorix and the Varden. Who are you?"

The man before him gaped at him and his strange, angular features seemed drastically more human. The men behind him shifted and whispered to each other but Sokka kept his eyes on the leader waiting for his answer. The man didn't seem to know how to answer, and so, he raised his hand and began to advance toward Sokka, just as he had before Katara had fallen. Sokka whipped his sword up. The man halted and stared hard at the weapon.

"So that's what you want? So be it." And without further hesitation a sapphire sword slipped from the sheath at his hip. Before Sokka could register what was happening the man had closed the distance between them, swinging his sword. Sokka was saved by habit alone as his sword flew up to deflect the other.

_Spirits, he was fast!_ Sokka's arm stung from the impact as he spun away, but the stranger wasted no time and swung at him again. Sokka back peddled and again barely deflected the blue sword. He lost his footing for an instant and listed to the side, but stuck his sword point in the dusty grass, more dirt than grass really, and a memory flickered. He ripped his sword along the dirt flinging a cloud into the air behind him as the stranger charged him once again. It worked just as perfectly as the first time. The man stopped and pawed at his eyes, blinking furiously to try to rid his eyes of the dust.

Sokka wasted no time and slammed his sword into the hilt of the other, and it fell to the ground.

"Who are you!" he demanded, the tip of his sword at the man's neck. The man mumbled something and before Sokka knew it, he was flying through the air. He gasped when he hit the ground again and groaned, squeezing his eyes shut. When they opened again the man stood over him, his sword point inches from Sokka's neck. He was absolutely furious as he growled, "Who taught you to fight like that?"

It was no secret Sokka had learned from Piandao during and after the war, and so he answered, "Master Piandao of Shu Jing."

"Do you work for Galbatorix?" the man demanded.

"No, I have never even heard of him!" Sokka shouted back, annoyance creeping in.

"Who are you, and where did you come from?"

"I'm General Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, hero of Sozin's War and head of the United Republic Council. Who are you?" Sokka didn't usually use all of his titles at once, but this was getting ridiculous.

Complete and utter bafflement played across the man's features. "Enough games! Tell me who you are!"

Sokka just stared at him. Everyone knew who he was! The Gaang couldn't go anywhere in the world anymore without a parade and a week of feasting!

"I did! How about you tell me who you are, 'Mr. High and Mighty'," Sokka said

"I am Eragon, Son of Brom, Rider of Saphira, vassal of the Lady Nasuada of the Varden." Sokka was obviously supposed to know exactly what that meant and be highly impressed.

Instead, he raised a skeptical eyebrow and asked, "Have you been getting into the cactus juice?"

Eragon growled and brandished his sword to Katara. "Who is she?"

Sokka rolled his eyes answered. "My sister. Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, Waterbending master of Avatar Aang, hero of Sozin's War, former Ambassador to the Fire Nation, pending Fire Lady."

There was no recognition of anything Sokka was saying. He dropped his head back into the dirt and sighed. "Where am I? I lost my map."

"East of Feinster." Sokka cracked an eye open.

"Northern or Southern Earth Kingdom?" he asked.

"What are you talking about? What is the Earth Kingdom?"

That was the last straw! This guy was worse than that hippie Chong! "What do you mean 'what is the Earth Kingdom?' It's the biggest country in the world! It held off the Fire Nation for a hundred years!"

A look of shock crossed Eragon's face as he stared down at him. "Are you… from across the sea?" he asked breathlessly.

Sokka closed his eyes and took a deep breath. _I'm gonna kill Aang_ he thought briefly. "Where am I?" he asked again, trying to be patient.

"You are in Alagaesia."

-x-

Zuko swung his swords over his head, intent on ramming a hilt into the man's head. Pulling the blow slightly, the brass hilt slammed into a wall. Zuko blinked in surprise and spun around. He shouldn't have been anywhere near a wall. Only a few moments ago he had nearly been pushed off of the dock!

The man he had been fighting was nowhere to be seen. Zuko's eyes flashed back and forth, taking in his surroundings, but his brain was having trouble comprehending what he saw. He wasn't on the open boardwalk next to his ship. He wasn't surrounded by Earth Kingdom loyalists. He was standing in a deserted alley.

One direction led into shadows, while the opposite lead to the lit, albeit dimly, street. Light was always better than darkness, Zuko mused and moved toward the street.

Zuko cautiously poked his head out of the alley to find a mostly deserted street. There was only a beggar sleeping against the wall of a shop and a rain barrel. Pulling the hood of his cloak up, the Fire Lord stepped out onto the dimly lit street. The light from a street lamp flickered against dingy walls that seemed to be crumbling from the foundations up. Zuko quickly slipped down the street, hugging the walls. He had no idea where he was, or where he was going, but information was everything, and he wasn't going to find out anything in an alley. At least not in _that_ alley.

The end of the street opened into a plaza of sorts. Shops ringed the open space, closed up for the night, and in some cases, it seemed, permanently. Times were hard here from the looks of things.

The Spirits were not on Zuko's side this night. As he stepped into the plaza, a night patrol stepped out of a street to his left. The light from their torches glinted off of a sliver of his armor peeking out from his cloak. One guard called for him to stay where he was and Zuko bolted down another street.

His boots seemed impossibly loud against the paving stones as he darted down streets and alleys trying to lose the guards, but they were in good shape apparently and he was having trouble losing them. He skidded around a corner and ducked into an alley hoping the night watch would run past him, but he spooked a cat right as the guards passed and the chase was on again.

Zuko was thoroughly lost, not that he'd had any idea where he was in the first place, but kept running, cursing his armor with every step. He sprinted down another street and broke into another square. On his left he saw another man, not a guard, beckoning to him wildly. Something in his gut told Zuko not to follow this man, but the pounding and shouting of the night watch behind him left him with little choice. He could try to outrun them in a city he didn't know, or he could accept help.

He slipped across the square to the man and tried to keep up as his new guide turned and fled down the street. Zuko was led through the maze of streets, following blindly because he had no choice, and just tried to keep up. The sounds of his pursuers grew steadily distant until he couldn't hear anything at all. Finally, after Zuko was sure he had run half the night away, his guide stopped, leaning against a wall and holding a stitch in his side as he caught his breath, a wide smile on his face.

"Oh, it's been far too long since I've had a good chase!" he exclaimed, his breath coming in great heaves.

"Thank you for helping me! I'm a bit lost," Zuko said.

His thanks seemed to sober the other young man. He straightened up, stepping away from the wall, and his dark eyes seemed to turn to stone. "You shouldn't thank me. You would have been better off if they had caught you. Follow me."

Zuko didn't follow. He watched the other man warily, his hand drifting to his swords at his shoulder. His guide turned sharply, his dark hair whipping around as blazing cold eyes bored into amber irises. "I do not have all night! Move!"

Zuko stood his ground. "Why help me escape the guards if you are taking me to a worse place?"

The other man seemed to shake with suppressed fury and bite back a howl. His fists clenched and Zuko was sure he was restraining himself from throwing a punch. "You do not get a say in this! You can come willingly with me now, or be dragged to the King by your toes. But you cannot run from him."

_What king was this?_ Zuko wondered as he weighed his options. He could try to run, but he had had difficulty just keeping up with the man, and doubted he could really outrun him in this place. He could fight him, but he had no knowledge of him, and didn't quite feel like showing his own hand yet. But he was the Fire Lord, for Spirit's sake! He should be able to deal with some knock off king. So he forced himself to relax and gestured for the man to lead the way.

They walked for what felt to Zuko like hours, turning up and down the convoluted winding streets until, finally, they stood before a great black wall. His guide pounded on the guard door off to the side of the main gate, spoke briefly to the eyes that blinked out at him shrewdly, and then led Zuko through a guard room and out into a vast courtyard. Across the way rose a huge dark palace, warm pinpoints of light shining out of windows, even at this hour of the night.

Without any hesitation his guide strode across the courtyard and into the palace. Stone sconces lit the interior of the palace and Zuko was once again led through a labyrinth of hallways, corridors, and staircases. As he followed, Zuko studied his guide.

He was handsome, to be sure, with dark brooding eyes and high cheekbones. His black hair shone like polished onyx when the firelight hit it. He looked young, perhaps Zuko's age or maybe a few years older. He had a strong build, like a bender's rather than a warrior's like Sokka, slim but obviously well conditioned. His clothes were nothing special, although not beggar's rags, and he wore them as if they were a king's raiment. He walked with an aura of confidence and superiority, like one used to giving orders and direction. He almost seemed a bit arrogant, Zuko thought, but he also realized, a bit sheepishly, that he must use that same walk in his own courts.

Finally, at the end of a long corridor before a set of grand doors, his guide halted and turned to him.

"You are about to meet the Lord of this land. You will show him the proper respect and bow to him. Do not speak out of turn - " At this Zuko suppressed a grimace. He was well aware what happened to one who spoke out of turn in the presence of a king. "- you will do as you are told."

Zuko nodded and his guide turned around and led the way through the doors.

The room was dimly lit, and Zuko squinted a bit through the gloom. The entire place smelled of ash and sulfur and his nose wrinkled. As he followed the man through the gloom he saw a man upon a throne. And then his jaw dropped.

The obsidian throne, and the man that sat back, relaxed, was dwarfed greatly by the hulking black dragon that hunched behind it. Golden spikes ridged from the dragon's brow, to the end of his tail, which was knarled and scarred from battles long forgotten. Off to Zuko's right, a smaller, but no less grand, ruby dragon lay curled on the floor. One crimson eye clicked open and followed the man walking towards it. The man slumped onto the dragon's foreleg, looking thoroughly exhausted, and the dragon's eye clicked shut again, trails of light gray smoke drifting to join the rest of the smoke that had engulfed the entire room.

Before him were the legends of his childhood! The original masters of firebending!

Zuko tore his golden eyes from the grandest creatures of his world, to stare at the man in the throne. He sat with dark eyes boring into Zuko. Remembering his manners, Zuko bowed, placing his left fist under his right palm.

For a long time, nobody moved. Then the King stood from his throne and walked slowly toward Zuko. He circled him and casually pulled the hood back from his face. Zuko heard his guide suck in a gasp at the sight of his scar.

In a deep baritone, the man asked, "Who are you, and from what land do you hail. I have never seen one with your hair color and light complexion."

Zuko's mind searched frantically for an answer. He had no idea where he was and quickly tried to bluff.

"My name is Lee, and I am from the West."

_Liar!_

A stabbing pain shot through Zuko's mind with the word. He dropped to his knees, grasping at his temples, hoping to alleviate some of the pain. Dully, like from a very far off place, he heard a voice, along with a feral growl.

"Master, please! He cannot protect his own mind. To attack it is-"

"Silence, Murtagh!" barked the King. "I know perfectly well, this _boy_ does not know how to protect his mind. But if he is to serve me, he must learn _honesty_." The King's voice had dropped into a quiet thrum, barely more than a whisper.

"Now I will ask you again. Who are you, and where do you hail from."

Zuko's only thought, in his pain reaped mind, was to tell the truth. "My name is Zuko, son of Ursa, Crowned Prince of the Fire Nation."

This time, no pain came. Zuko thanked Agni for that.

"Very good. Now tell me of this world." The Kind waltzed back up to his black throne, gracefully falling into it.

Now that Zuko's head was clear, he knew he should not give any more to this man than he already had.

He kept silent.

"Do not make me tear it from you, boy!" Again the hot knife punctured his mind. It was all Zuko could do to not cry out. His muscles seized up as his memories were rifled through. Many focused on his Uncle, some on his banishment, while others went to the terrible deeds of his father.

Silently, Zuko prayed that this tyrant would not find anything about Aang. If this man knew of the power that boy held, Aang would be done for. Ozai may have been evil, but if this man could attack the very mind, Aang didn't stand a chance.

The King scrabbled at a scrap of Aang, but quickly discarded the memory, for it was only Aang telling Zuko that he had always lived as a simple monk.

As Zuko's mind was ravaged, the man, Murtagh, watched on silently, wishing hopelessly, that he could stop this. His mind drifted to when his own mind had been ravaged by the twins, when he and Eragon had first reached the Varden, and he shuttered, knowing this scarred man before him was just as helpless to fend off the attack as Murtagh himself had been.

Zuko gasped and dropped to the floor as the King's mind withdrew from his.

"Interesting. Your world's magic is based entirely around the elements. Show me your fire magic."

Zuko could not help but smirk as the King used the ignorant words Sokka always used for his firebending.

Zuko knew that if he wanted to avoid any more pain, and through that, stay alive, he would have to show this man what he knew, but he would keep it as basic as he could.

Zuko took off his cloak, setting it at the bottom of the dais the King's throne sat upon and walked to the middle of the room.

He breathed deeply, preparing to launch himself into the basics of his art. He slowly began to move, sparks jumping at his fingertips. Then as the basics became more complex, the sparks grew into flames, jumping from his feet and hands.

Zuko danced around the room, and finished off with "The Dance of the Dragon". He knew there was no way the King could memorize all of these moves after seeing them just one time, and even if he could continually refer to Zuko's memories, his body was not trained for the forms, and it would take him years to master.

Zuko bowed to the King, calming himself in the now stuffy room.

The King clapped, slowly, drawing it out before he stood and walked toward Zuko.

"You have power, and strength that has never before been seen in this world. You have magic that is unexpendable. You will serve me, and together, we will stamp out the stain that those blasted rebels have marred my kingdom with. Murtagh."

The Rider stepped forward, a large green stone in his hands.

Zuko immediately recognized it as a dragon's egg.

It shimmered in the dim light of the throne room. Icy white veins webbed the surface.

Murtagh handed the egg to the King, who in turn, offered the egg to Zuko. His breath caught in his throat as he stared at the egg. His hands shakily took the egg, and he stared at it with awed eyes.

All too soon, the egg was taken from him and handed back to Murtagh.

"What now, master? If he is not destined to be a rider?"

"Murtagh, you foolish boy. Bring the other one." Zuko watched, curious.

"But Master, you said that egg was reserved for your own heir."

"Bring me the other one, Murtagh." The King's voice was firm, grinding almost, and Murtagh hurried to obey.

Two minutes after he had left, he returned, this time instead of an emerald egg, he carried a dazzlingly white egg, this one a bit smaller than the first.

Murtagh handed the egg straight to Zuko before stepping back.

Zuko held the egg, in just as much awe of this one as with the last. Even as he held the egg, Zuko felt something inside it shift. He jumped as the egg split almost perfectly down the middle.

Panicked gold eyes shot to Murtagh, whose face had fallen with what Zuko identified as grief. His eyes then looked at the King.

"I- I'm sorry, sir, I didn't do anything I swear! It just happened."

"I know, boy, quiet. Watch."

Zuko's eyes returned to the egg in his hands. More cracks had scattered across its surface, and slowly, a section began to shift.

Zuko watched as a tiny little diamond white head threaded its way out of the chip in the egg.

A dragon had hatched for Zuko of the Fire Nation.

-x-

While Toph had been hunting with Rowan Aang had continued to explore the island. There were plenty of fruit trees around the island and Aang had harvested some before returning. Toph munched on an apple as the sun hit the mountains, casting long shadows across the valley.

As they ate, the two shared anything interesting they had found while exploring that day. Aang pulled an old scroll from his belt and layed it out before him. "I found a map." Toph seemed unimpressed, but Rowan poked at the old parchment curiously with his snout. "I have no idea where we are. I've never seen this part of the world on any map before. I'm going to try to talk to Roku tomorrow and see if he has any idea what might have happened."

Toph nodded and the two turned in for the night, but not before Rowan had weaseled his way between the two and promptly fell asleep.

-x-

The next morning Aang woke refreshed for what felt like the first time in his life. It had been too long since he had gotten a full night's sleep. Toph knew he wasn't as at home on rock as she was, and she had turned the slate floor in their tent into a fine sand, almost powdery to the touch.

Rowan was curled up in Toph's arms, and Aang reached over to stroke his head affectionately before dropping a kiss to Toph's hair and slipping out of the tent. Grabbing a mango from their food stash he wolfed it down quickly and then sat before the fire pit. There was no point in delaying talking with his past lives, so he quickly cleared his mind and tapped into the Avatar State.

Once again, the unexpected happened. His intention had been to call his past lives to him, one by one, as he had when facing the dilemma of ending Ozai's life going back as far as he needed to find answers. Instead, he found himself in the Spirit World. The place was familiar to him now, having spent four years as a fully realized Avatar and acting as the bridge between the worlds. What wasn't familiar to him was the man that stood before him.

He had a long white beard that rippled down his chest, twinkling blue eyes, and a staff. A jeweled sword hung at his hip but he gave Aang a smile like a grandfather watching a favored grandchild. A smile Iroh often gave him.

Aang scrambled to his feet and bowed respectfully. "Ummm, are you here to tell me what's going on?" he asked hopefully.

"I am indeed. My name is Brom," the old man said, dipping his head in a small bow. "What would you like to know?"

Aang's mind reeled. Where to start! "Well, I would really like to know where I am. And why."

Brom nodded. "Of course. You have been brought to a world that needs your help."

Aang cut him off before he could get farther. "A world? What do you mean?"

Brom gave him an annoyed look before explaining. "Well, there is your world and the Spirit World. What makes you think you're so special that yours is the only one to exist?"

Aang wasn't sure how to answer and so remained silent. Brom huffed a bit, and then continued. "Alagaesia, this world, has been ravaged by tyranny for centuries and it has finally boiled over into war. It needs help to return to peace. Why a little stick of a boy like you was called, I do not know."

"Hey!" Aang protested. "I'm not a stick of a boy! I'm the Avatar, the median of peace and balance in the world." Brom looked unimpressed. "You want me to bring peace to this world, fine. What do I do?" Aang spat. He had always felt his life had been ripped out of his hands at a young age. His destiny had been set before him and he had had no control over his life as it careened through the war. Marrying Toph had seemed like a marker that he was finally in control of his life. The Universe could not even give him three months peace before tearing it from his hands again.

Brom seemed to take note of the steel in the young man's voice and smiled approvingly. Perhaps he would be able to help. "There is a rebellion opposing Galbatorix, the evil king. Leading that resistance is my son, Eragon, the first of a new generation of Dragon Riders." Aang opened his mouth to ask what a Dragon Rider was but Brom gave him a fierce look. "Dragon Riders were once the keepers of peace in this world, but they grew arrogant, and Galbatorix overthrew them and named himself King. A dragon egg hatched for Eragon, making him a Dragon Rider-"

"Wait, a dragon hatched for me! Or, at least, I guess it hatched for me. I got this when I touched him the first time," Aang said eagerly, raising his palm to show the shimmery mark.

Brom's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head! He scrambled forward and grabbed Aang's wrist roughly, examining the mark. "You have the gedwey insignia," he murmured. A huge smile broke across his face as he looked into Aang's eyes. "Fate truly is on our side! You must go south. Find the Varden and tell Eragon that I sent you. You must tell him these words exactly: _Eka aí fricai un Shur'tugal. Eka aí fricai abr Brom. *_ Do you understand? It is vital you tell him this!"

Aang struggled to commit the strange sounds to memory, but nodded. "How will I find him? I know nothing of this world."

"The Varden are liberating those under the Empire's rule. As you travel, you will undoubtedly hear rumors as to their location. You should be able to find a map somewhere on the island."

"I have a map," Aang assured.

Brom smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "Good. You are on the island in the northwest corner. Travel east until you reach the continent, and then follow the mountains south. Once you find him, Eragon will teach you and together, you will defeat Galbatorix. Good luck, Rider, _Atra du evarínya ono varda**._

-x-

When Aang opened his eyes it was nearly midday. Toph was stretched out on the dirt, enjoying the sun as Rowan examined a bug. He stretched his legs out, rubbing his calf to help the circulation as blood rushed into his limbs.

"Finally!" Toph exclaimed, not bothering to open her eyes. "I was beginning to wonder if you would ever wake up."

Ignoring her joke, he explained all Brom had told him. Toph listened attentively, as she always did, and then said, "Looks like we're getting that honeymoon after all."

**So there it is! Chapter 2.**

**But wait, you say. How can dear old Galby have **_**another**_** egg? I really would not be surprised if he had kifed a few extras before destroying the majority of them. I think his grand plan, revealed in **_**Inheritance**_**, was his plan from the outset. I would not be surprised if he had thought ahead and grabbed some eggs planning to restore the riders under his rule.**

***"I am a Rider and a friend. I am a friend of Brom"**

****"May the stars watch over you."**

**As great as it is to get favorites and alerts for this story, I would really love to know what you think of it. Comments and critiques are welcome, and flames will be laughed at, and then used to roast starburst. I really want to know the reaction to this! So please process and reply. The layout has even changed to make it easier! I am still not above bribery, and you get a cookie!**

**Tenneyshoes**


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